As the Virginia men's soccer team prepared for its Sept. 15 non-conference matchup against Mount St. Mary's, one of its best players was nowhere to be found. Sophomore forward Brian Ownby, on a plane soaring high above the Atlantic Ocean, would have to leave his college team behind for awhile and adapt to an entirely different venue: the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Suez, Egypt.
Ownby was selected as one of 21 players to represent the United States in the prestigious tournament, which featured 24 of the best national youth soccer teams around the world. His name was included in a list of both collegiate and professional players, who were chosen after months of deliberation and careful evaluation. Coach Thomas Rongen, at the helm of his third U-20 World Cup squad, studied numerous players in training camps and qualifying matches from this past year to reach his long-awaited decisions.
"I've been on the team for the last eight months," Ownby said. "So I knew I was in the drawing to be selected as one of the 21 players. The coaches told me to get in shape, and I came to the last camp in shape. They called me a week later and said I made it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I was very excited going in."
Ownby did not go to the World Cup unprepared. He saw action with the national team in late July in the Copa Ciudad de Rosario, a tournament in Argentina that served as a tune-up for the World Cup. The Americans finished second in the round-robin tournament, defeating C.A. Tiro Federal and Uruguay before falling to Australia in their final match. A month earlier, the team travelled to Cairo, Egypt, where it scrimmaged against the Egyptian squad twice and got acclimated to the environment it would enter a few months down the road.
Sept. 14, Ownby and company left for Larnanca, Cyprus, where they played two matches in preparation for their World Cup opener against Germany Sept. 26. There, they dispatched Trinidad and Tobago, trained twice a day and enjoyed all the perks Cyprus had to offer.
"We all went out to the beach," Ownby said. "I hadn't been out to a European beach in a long time. We were in the Mediterranean at a nude beach, so I can't really complain."
Despite its impressive play entering the competition, the team ran into a wall against a strong German side during its opening match in Suez. Featuring a myriad of disciplined players who had experience in the highly regarded Bundesliga, the European champions proved their merit by defeating the U.S. 3-0. It marked the first time the Americans had been shutout in the event since the last time they faced Germany in 2005. Ownby received a yellow card in the 29th minute of the match when he tackled a German attacker in the box. The ensuing penalty kick was converted to give the Germans a 1-0 lead.
Three days later, though, facing a Cameroon squad that was coming off a 2-0 victory against Korea Republic, the United States displayed new vigor and trounced its African opponent, 4-1. Four Americans recorded goals, including Ownby, who tacked on the team's final goal in the waning minutes of the match. A second half substitute, Ownby made the most of his scoring chance in stoppage time, putting away his first international goal. He called it the highlight of his trip and the best moment of his soccer career thus far.
"It was pretty exciting, as you can tell by my celebration," Ownby said. "I just laid down on the ground, and everyone jumped on top of me."
The play developed when teammate Jared Jeffrey won the ball near midfield and played a through ball to Ownby, who streaked past the last defender and found himself on a clear run toward the goal. In what he described as "the longest run of my life," Ownby dribbled at the keeper and angled a shot to the far post as he was being knocked down by a pursuing defender. The goal put the United States ahead of Cameroon in the Group C standings, meaning it only needed to tie Korea Republic in its final first round match to advance to the round of 16.
Unfortunately, the team came out flat against the Koreans, losing 3-0. The technically sound and organized Korean squad seemed hungrier than the Americans, as they needed the full three points to advance. After receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the Cameroon match, Ownby was forced to sit in the stands and contemplate what could have been.
"We've played against a bunch of other national teams, but no one near the level of Germany and the other teams we played against," he said. "We were all pumped to play, but I think we gave Germany too much respect and that hurt us a little bit. We expected to go farther and make it out of the group stage, so it was kind of upsetting that we didn't."
The Americans finished in 17th place, one spot shy of the second round. It was the first time the United States failed to move past the opening round since 1987, though it did not qualify in 1991 and 1995.
Despite the disappointing finish, Ownby still left Egypt content with his experience in a truly unique culture. The Egyptian fans, who numbered near 30,000 in each match, were extremely passionate about soccer and treated each team with respect. Their numbers were particularly astounding in the tournament's opening match between Egypt and Trinidad and Tobago, as the stands teemed with almost 80,000 fans. Different teams' customs on the field sometimes surprised Ownby, such as when the Egyptians got down on the ground and prayed after each goal they scored.
The experience also benefitted his development as a soccer player. Ownby said he hopes his increased international training improves his play with the Cavaliers, and he seemed to back up his words in his first game back, when he scored only five minutes into the match.
"It's a lot faster pace, so coming back here, I kind of picked up my level," he said. "I learned some things from that experience that I hope to bring to the team here"
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